VN Boards Archive

[VN Boards Archive]

Welcome to the Vault Network forum archive.

This is not a complete archive, time didn't allot us the opportunity to properly backup the majority of the boards deemed "expendable". Most boards on this list have at least 20-40 pages archived (non-logged in pages, 15 topics per page).

Popular boards may have as many as 250 pages archived at 50 topics per page, while others deemed of historical signifigance may be archived in their entirety.

We may not agree with how the board shutdown was managed, but we've done what we could to preserve some of its history in lieu of that.

Please enjoy the archive.
~ Managers, Moderators, VIP's, and regular posters.

Author

Topic: The Change Series by S.M.Stirling

Lyndrek Title: Moderator Lynx Mod Posts: 36,955 Registered: Nov 22, '99 Extended Info (if available) Real Post Cnt: 34,000 User ID: 5,632	Subject: The Change Series by S.M.Stirling
	I had a rep at work recommend this series of books to me. I'm thinking about getting them, anyone read it? is it good? I think the premise sounds interesting at least, and I just want to get other's feedback on it. -----signature----- Moderator I am not a Dev!
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Morreion Posts: 7,356 Registered: Aug 7, '03 Extended Info (if available) Real Post Cnt: 7,283 User ID: 828,832	Subject: The Change Series by S.M.Stirling
	Stirling is a good solid writer, he does his research, has interesting characters, and writes great battle scenes. He has a few series set in the same world: Island in the Sea of Time 1. Island in the Sea of Time (1997) 2. Against the Tide of Years (1998) 3. On the Oceans of Eternity (2000) Dies the Fire (also known as Emberverse I) 1. Dies the Fire (2004) 2. The Protector's War (2005) 3. A Meeting at Corvallis (2006) Change (also known as Emberverse II) 1. The Sunrise Lands (2007) 2. The Scourge of God (2008) 3. The Sword of the Lady (2009) 4. The High King of Montival (later in 2010) (2 more books are projected for the future) I read Emberverse I first and then went back and read the Island trilogy, that worked out alright, but read Emberverse I before Emberverse II. Basically, these series are an alternate history- in the late 90s in our world, a strange electrical storm knocks out all technology on the planet. No guns, no engines, no explosions work. Technology is suddenly reversed by centuries. Chaos reigns, and a minority of hardy, adaptable or just plain lucky people quickly adapt to growing their own food and learn how to organize and fight using essentially Medieval social structures and weapons (the majority of people die). Imagine crossbowmen mounted on bicycles pedaling over crumbling roads. There's a professor of history in Portland, Oregon- a member of the Society of Creative Anachronism- who catches on fast, and organizes street gangs into a feudal army. Imagine gang-bangers in chainmail with swords swearing fealty to their lord. It's a wild read. The Island in the Sea of Time tells what happens to a shipload of Coast Guard personnel, along with the whole island of Nantucket, who are thrown back in time by this storm to the Bronze Age, and how they change history. Emberverse I details the first 10 years or so after The Change in our reality and how the survivors initially adapt by creating different social organizations, and how a war results. Emberverse II takes place 22 years after The Change and follows the sons and daughters of the original survivors as they go on a quest across what used to be America to find out what really happened when The Change hit. Emberverse II- as opposed to the 2 earlier series- gets somewhat mystical. Stirling's website at http://www.smstirling.com/ has sample chapters. IMHO Emberverse I was the best of the 3 series. If you ever wondered what the world might be like after an EMP attack, there's a lot of interesting conjecture here. How would survivors cope and organize? Stirling researched manual labor technologies and ancient/feudal social structures, and it shows in his writing. The Island series is a good adventure for time travel fans. Imagine a Bronze Age war in Mesopotamia with 19th-century firearms! I recommend these books to anyone who likes Post-Apocalyptic fiction, adventure, or great battle scenes. Enjoy! -----signature----- Gack BladeSong, ML10 Warden- Hib Nimue DAoC (ret.) http://morreion.gamerdna.com/ And in my mind, my heart. And in my heart, new words. ~Pendragon
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Lyndrek Title: Moderator Lynx Mod Posts: 36,955 Registered: Nov 22, '99 Extended Info (if available) Real Post Cnt: 34,000 User ID: 5,632	Subject: The Change Series by S.M.Stirling
	-----signature----- Moderator I am not a Dev!
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